Astoria — Restaurant in North Island

Bad experience. Train your staff better and make it a priority to greet your customers when the enter your premises. It adds a warmth and welcoming atmosphere for people want to stay. We wanted to leave as soon as we stepped in for the following reasons: No one greeted or served us when we stepped into the cafe. No one even offered to help direct us whether to order first then sit or whether there was table service. So we ended up seating ourselves after asking for menus. It took us our intiative to wave down a waitress to take our order (after waiting 10mins) and to clarify a few things on the menu (eg what smoothies are offered). No offer of water. coffee order never came. When we went to cancel it they refunded us in coins before we even paid. Then when we paid by credit card they made us pay for the full bill. Weird decision making by the manager who was really stand-offish about it. No apology for the lost order, only by the innocent waitress who had the unfortunate role in receiving our request to cancel the order. *Table next to us had something wrong in their food and complained about it. That tipped us off even before we ordered food.

Outcome: never going back. We are from Melbourne. I expected more from Wellington CBD to be honest with the cafes and restaurants we have been to in Taupo and Auckland and even Wellington prior to this. Disappointing to see such a great location and a cafe of such a size to have poor service and clearl in need of training. Reflects poorly on management. Attitude issues and training issues. Food was average. Couldn't tell if the coffee was good cos...

A solid Italian restaurant oozing with style.

Nestled in Midland Park, Astoria greets you with a moody space filled with the smells of bread, olive oil, and matured cheeses. The waiters are warm and attentive. You will never feel rushed or forgotten and no ask feels out of place.

The menu has plenty of gluten free options, many of which can be adapted. For example the linguini pawns were served with gluten free penne. However, Astoria cannot guarantee dishes are safe for coeliacs. Unfortunately fresh bread is prepared in a shared cooking environment. The wait staff will ask you if you are coeliac as you place your order.

The food is a modern interpretation of classic Italian flavours. In particular, we would recommend the burrata and beef cheek ragu.The burrata was fresh, delicate, and soft, while the ragu has a strong umami flavour.

The drinks menu will appeal to a wide variety of taste buds, preferences, and ages. You will also find a range of Italian drinks and sprits like the Camperchi Chianti Riserva and Limoncello spritz.

Overall Astoria is a good restaurant. However the menu, although varied, lacks the flare to really wow. It is also a shame that the dishes aren't safe for coeliacs and the only pasta alternative is penne. A fundamental aspect of Italian cuisine is pasta variety which is flattered by only one option for all.

Critically Coeliac - reviews to die for *

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Like the previous reviewer, I came here on a wet, Sunday morning. I found the set up confusing. We waited by a sign that said “please wait here to be seated” for about 2 minutes, while numerous staff wandered round and ignored us completely. We worked out we should just sit down but it wasn’t clear if it was table service or not. Totally ignored by the numerous staff, even though they were walking around, supposedly serving tables, and even though some were just standing with their backs on a wall waiting. Eventually worked out you needed to go to counter by seeing what other people were doing. Food was ok, great scrambled eggs, but look at the pic... are they hash potatoes? No. So call them something else on your menu. And the waiter spilled the coffee into the saucer as he was serving it but never apologised or grabbed a napkin to clear up. Had to work out that if I wanted water or butter I had to go up to the waiters’ service area and grab it myself. Total lack of any care or feeling of welcome by any staff member. One young waiter in particular looked so utterly miserable to be there that we wondered if she was working there against her will. Wouldn’t...